1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a decorative member that displays predetermined design or decoration stereoscopically or three-dimensionally, and to a process for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Decorative members that display predetermined decorations three-dimensionally have been known. This type of decorative members (hereinafter simply referred to as “decorative members”) has been used in emblems and electromagnetic-wave transmissive covers for vehicle. In general, such a decorative member comprises a transparent layer, and a decoration layer that is disposed on the rear surface of the transparent layer. The rear surface of the transparent layer is formed as an irregular configuration. The decoration layer is formed as another irregular configuration that coincides with that of the transparent layer's rear surface. The decoration layer that takes on the irregular configuration makes the decorative member display predetermined decoration three-dimensionally.
Note that the decoration layer in a conventional decorative member is usually made of two or more layers in order to display the predetermined decoration. For example, an ordinary conventional decorative member is illustrated FIGS. 12 and 13. FIG. 12 illustrates a front view of the conventional decorative member schematically. FIG. 13 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the conventional decorative member, which is shown in FIG. 12 and is cut along the imaginary chain double-dashed line “13”-“13” designated in FIG. 12, schematically. Moreover, FIGS. 14 and 15 are explanatory diagrams for schematically illustrating how the conventional decorative member is manufactured, respectively. Hereinafter, the conventional decorative member will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 through 15.
As illustrated in FIG. 13, the conventional decorative member comprises a transparent layer 501, and a decoration layer 506. The decoration layer 506 has first decorated layers 502, and second decorated layers 503. The first decorated layers 502 and second decorated layers 503 are formed on the rear surface of the transparent layer 501 partially. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 12, the first decorated layers 502, and the second decorated layers 503, which are placed in the space between the first decorated layers 502 and in the middle of the conventional decorative member, are visible when a viewer views the conventional decorative member on the front-surface side, namely, on the side of the transparent layer 501. Accordingly, the conventional decorative member displays predetermined decoration that results from the first decorated layers 502 and second decorated layers 503. Moreover, the decoration layer 506 is formed as an irregular configuration that coincides with that of the transparent layer 501's rear surface, as illustrated in FIG. 13. Consequently, the conventional decorative member displays the predetermined decoration three-dimensionally with the decoration layer 506's irregular configuration. In general, the first decorated layers 502 are formed by means of application, and the second decorated layers 503 are formed by means of deposition or application. Note that the term, “application” being referred to in the present specification, implies a concept that involves not only coating but also printing.
Note that the following two methods have been available to give such an irregular configuration to the decoration layer 506. As for a first method, a material for making the decoration layer 506 is applied or vapor deposited onto the rear surface of the transparent layer 501, thereby forming the decoration layer 506 as an irregular configuration that coincides with the rear surface of the transparent layer 501. When forming the second decorated layers 503 by means of vapor deposition in accordance with the first method, it is believed allowable to form the first decorated layers 502 by means of application onto the rear surface of the transparent layer 501 and then form the second decorated layers 503 onto the resulting first decorated layers 502 by means of vapor deposition as an upper layer to the first decorated layers 502. However, this first method requires to put the transparent layer 501 with the first decorated layer 502 formed into a vacuum chamber for vapor deposition in the course of forming the second decorated layers 503. Accordingly, there arises such a problem that the manufacturing steps for completing decorated member might have become complicated. On the other hand, it is not needed to put the transparent layer 501 into a vapor-deposition vacuum chamber when forming the second decorated layers 503 by means of application. However, since the transparent layer 501 takes on an irregular configuration, it might be difficult to form the second decorated layers 503 highly accurately by means of application, depending on positions at which the second decorated layers 503 are formed. Consequently, when forming the second decorative layers 503 by means of application in accordance with the first method, it might have been less likely to manufacture decorative members that are good in terms of decorativeness. Moreover, such a first method might have required troublesome manufacturing steps in order to form the second decorated layers 503 with high accuracy by means of application.
A second method of giving an irregular configuration, which coincides with the rear surface of the transparent layer 501, to the decoration layer 506 is a method of laminating a decoration layer 506 that comprises a film onto the rear surface of the transparent layer 501, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2006-95,793, for instance. As illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, a film is used in the laminating method. The film is made of a resinous layer 530, and the first decorated layer 502 and second decorated layer 503 that are formed in advance as an upper layer to the resinous layer 530. Accordingly, it is believed that the laminating method hardly requires complicated manufacturing steps when forming the second decorated layer 503 either by means of vapor deposition or by means of application. That is, it is not needed to put the transparent layer 501 itself into a vacuum chamber for vapor deposition when forming the second decorated layer 503 by means of vapor deposition. Moreover, it is possible to form the second decorated layer 503, an upper layer, by means of application onto the flat resinous layer 530. Consequently, the laminating method is believed to enable manufacturers to readily manufacture decorative members.
However, in the laminating method, it is required to shape the resulting decoration layer 506, a film, into a configuration that develops so as to coincide with the rear surface of the transparent layer 501. When shaping the decoration layer 506 into such a configuration, it undergoes elongation deformation so that it turns into a configuration that coincides with the rear surface of the transparent layer 501. Therefore, as illustrated FIG. 15, the boundary sections between the first decorated layer 502 and the second decorated layer 503 (hereinafter, referred to as “break or separation lines” 570) might suffer from positional deviation or displacement, depending on an extent of the elongation deformation that the decoration layer 506 undergoes. To put it differently, the laminating method might not allow a manufacturing worker or robot to position the break or separation lines 570 highly accurately. As a result, completed decorative members might exhibit deteriorated decorativeness.
Because of the problems as described above, manufacturers have been therefore seeking such a technique that makes it possible to readily manufacture decorative members, and to improve the decorativeness of resulting decorative members furthermore.